The Portland daily press., 1887-10-21
SHIPS AND SAILS.
Vessels OF Long Ago Modelled After
Noah's Ark.
Yankee Skill as Seen In Graceful
Yachts and schooners.
Modern Commercial Needs Served
by Telegraph Poles AfIoat.
LHon. William Goold.l


England its name, wrote out and published
a narrative of his voyage. In it he says:
''Of all the fabrics a ship is the most excel
lent, requiring more art in building, rigging,
sailing. trimming. depending and mOOring,
with such number Of several terms and
names, not understood by any landsman !;
the first model thereof being directed by
God himself to Noah for his ark"
The Puritans were NO admirers Of beauty
in any form. IL handsome woman crop
ped out in the natural course in their time,
she had no facilities for adornment, but was
met by the harsh laws of Old and New Eng
land restraining her sex in their dress. The
Rev. Mr.. Williams Of Salem required the
women of his congregation to wear wells in
public. The ark model for vessels was Just
suited to the ideas Of the Puritans, and they
followed it for years with as little alteration
as possible. Their object was to build some
thing that would pay.
True to the chosen name In the building
/. of the racing sloop Puritan, beauty was not
the object bat ability to get along in the
world. The Dutch, before becoming great
commercial nation, stamped the representa-
tlon Of clumsy ship ON their first coin. with
an appropriate Latin motto, the English Of
which is, None can ten where fate will
bear me-" Irving says that when Hendrick
Hudson's shin, the Half Moon, entered New
York harbOr in 1909, she drifted in sideways.
The Mayfiower sailed from England for Vir-
ginia, but fate bore her to Cape Cod.
All old pictures Of ships represent. them
with Immensely high poop decks. Decks be-
gan to be made lower in the English navy
about 1880. The first frigate, the Constant
Warwick" was built about that time. In
1890, Sir Anthony Deane, seaman and COM
missioner in the navy, said, SIT would be the
best and only possible expedient to be mas
tiers OF the sea, and able TO destroy the great
est navy Of any enemy, If, instead of build
ing huge, great ships with such high decks,
which were for nothing but to accommodate
gentlemen commanders, who must have all
their effeminate accommodations, and for
pOmp, and build swift sailing vessels With
low decks the guns lying near the water"
During the first half Of the present century
steady Improvement went ON in the size
carrying capacity, beauty of rig and speed OF
merchant vessels. Now all this Is sacrificed
TO profit. Vessels are built and rigged with
the object Of being cheaply sailed and carry
ing large freight. Except a few very large
ships built for the trade Of the Pacific, the
In this country was built by Capt Andrew
Rainson Of Gloucester, in 1713 DIR. Moses
Prince wrote Of 1t eight years after. Top
sail schOoners as a class were most Of them
beautiful vessels. The small, fast fore-and-
alters used by the fishermen are fine vessels.
and can hardly be distinguished from the
yachts.
For the home freighting business the mer-
chant builds a seemly hull to carry well up
the size Of the former ships, and then dis
figures 1t By erecting on its deck apparently
contracted line Of telegraph posts, all Of
one height and size. 1t does not possess the
comeliness Of a section Of an ordinary tele-
graph line. The wire connecting the TOP of
these posts hangs In graceful, undulatinx
curves, but the schooners' masts are con-
nected at the top by stay as straight and
stif looking as an iron rod. Then a ships
topsall Is cut In two corner-ways, and makes
two gah-t0psails, which any land lubber can
set from the deck. IL the sailing expenses
require that the vessel must be a iore-and-
after, why not let the mast next TO the fore
mast run up few feet the highest for the
sake OF symmetry, like the mainnast Of
ship?
Fifty years ago three masted schooners
were almost unknown. There was one
coaster Of this rig belonging to an eastern
port which was occasionally seen at anchor
In Portland harbor. 1t became a common
saying that storm was eOming-the three
masted schooner had arrived. The change
~ blic ii6 VI NcootiS mas DttH long going on.
AS long ago as March, 1878, the Boston Post
said that during the months Of January and
February OF that year, not one ship arrived
at Boston from any foreign or domestic
port, nor was there full rigged ship in port
Within my recollection the rigging and
ground tackle and purchases TO weigh anchor
nave been much improved. Sixty years ago
there was no patent windlass purchase .
The windlass had holes on four sides for
wooden handspikes, and hemp cables we're
tne rule, although there were few chains.
III was no uncommon occurrence for a yes
sci 10 loose tide In going to sea, for the
neglect to heave short at low water so as to
nave the assistance Of the rising tide In
breaking ground. Now although the an
chors are much heavier, the purchase winds
in the anchor with as little ado as washer
woman winds up her clothes line. Friction
roller SheaveS has doubled the hOisting DOW
er OF man since the sheaves were made to
run on simple iron pin. These
Improvements and donkey engines which
now do the work OF many a jolly
jack tar, make it possible for such ignt
crews to sail such big hulls. The poetry
has been taken out Of the sailing and aIriv-
al OF vessels, which had such a charm for
many, years ago when there was no tug
which now seizes vessel as an ant does a
bug, and walks off with one ten times her
size 1t seems impossible for vessels TO
have been rigged with yards and tOpsails as
small as some which are recorded. The bark
hlcnnOnu, Quilt at klchmOnd'S Island in
1853 was less than fifty tons, vet she is men
TONED as carrying yards. John JOcelyn who
arrived in Boston in 1888. on his way home
from visit to his brother at Scarborough
says in his published narrative, "Being no
sooner aboard in Boston harbor but we had
a sight of an Indian pinnaee made Of birch
bark sewed together with the roots Of spruce
with dirk and trimmed with sails, top and
top-gallant, very sumptuouSly" The ship
John. of Portland, of $50 tons only was a full
rugged ship.
Ii was not the movement Of a many mast
ed fore-and-after that inspired Thomas
Moore to write these lines:
"When freshly blows the northern gale,
And under courses snug we fly;
Or when light breeZes swell the SAIL
And royals proudly sweep the sky;
But see the wind draws kindly aft,
All hands are up the yards to square,
And now the floating stern-s Ills watt
Our stately ship through waves and air."
\ Onfnhar 18th w q